Author: Maria Sparagis

Maria Sparagis is President of DirectPayNet, where she's spent over 20 years helping businesses scale to six-, seven-, and eight-figure revenue through optimized payment processing. She works hands-on with business owners to solve merchant account challenges, reduce processing costs, and implement payment strategies that support real growth. Maria is a regular speaker at fintech conferences and writes about practical approaches that help businesses break through revenue plateaus.

Best Cross-Border Payments Practices for Travel Businesses

Creative abstract business travel and tourism concept: air tickets or boarding pass, passports, touchscreen smartphone with online airline tickets booking or reservation internet application, magnetic compass, credit cards and pen on world geographic map atlas with selective focus effect

Travel connects people across the globe. But when it comes to accepting payments from international customers, things can get tricky fast. If you run a travel business-whether it’s a tour company, hotel, or booking platform-you’ve probably faced the headache of cross-border payments. Different currencies, surprise fees, and confusing checkout experiences can all get in the […]

Mastercard Agent Pay, AI Is Changing the Way We Pay

Mastercard logo on a gray background

Mastercard just made a move that will likely change the way we shop and pay forever (at least on their network). The company announced Agent Pay, a new technology that lets trusted AI agents make secure payments on your behalf. Imagine telling your digital assistant to buy your groceries, book your next vacation, or pay […]

Stripe FORCING AI Dispute Tool, Taking 30% of Winnings

Laptop computer displaying logo of Stripe, an Irish-American financial services and software as a service (SaaS) company

When you run an online business, chargebacks are just part of the game. But now, Stripe is changing the rules-and not necessarily in your favor. If you’re using Stripe to process payments, you need to know about their new dispute fee structure and how it could impact your bottom line. Stripe has always charged a […]

Is Shopify Safe? The Hidden Risks for Growing Businesses

"Shopify" logo in a white circle surrounded by various icons and a finger pointing at it

Shopify is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms in the world. It’s known for its user-friendly interface, quick setup, and a vast ecosystem of apps and integrations. But is Shopify really safe for your business-especially as you grow? Let’s dive into the pros and cons, with a special focus on the risks around scalability […]

How to Quash Cart Abandonment and Perfect Fulfillment

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A customer browses your online store, adds items to their cart, and then… disappears. Sucks, right? That’s cart abandonment, and it happens more often than you think. In fact, nearly 70% of online shopping carts get abandoned before checkout. That’s a lot of potential sales slipping through your fingers. Cart abandonment hits your bottom line […]